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Jewish-Roman cuisine, the traditional food of one of Europe's longest-standing Jewish communities, is among Italy's most distinctive hyper-local repertoires. Gastronomes increasingly acknowledge the importance of Jewish foodways for Italian cuisine, but a few famous "signature dishes" often dominate popular ideas of Jewish food in Italy. In Rome, carciofi alla giudìa – deep-fried "Jewish-style" artichokes – have long been used to symbolize the diverse and complex Jewish-Roman tradition. Blending ethnographic methods with discourse analysis, I ask how and why carciofi alla giudìa occupy this role, and what this means for contemporary Jewish-Roman identity. I then examine a selection of "origin stories" behind other dishes in the Jewish-Roman tradition, arguing that going beyond the near-ubiquitous artichoke can complicate and enrich our understanding of Jewish-Roman history, culture, and identity. Rather than attempting to prove or disprove these stories, I analyze them as tools for self-fashioning. I identify a variety of characteristics that these narratives are used to communicate: including ancient roots; resilience and resourcefulness; and an openness to new arrivals and external influences. Finally, I interrogate the relationship between the Jewish-Roman tradition and the city's cuisine at large, arguing that this too has important repercussions for Roman and Jewish-Roman self-perception and identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we introduce an innovative application of clustering algorithms to assess and appraise Italy's alignment with respect to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on those related to climate change and the agrifood market. Specifically, we examined SDG 02: Zero Hunger, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, and SDG 13: Climate Change, to evaluate Italy's performance in one of its most critical economic sectors. Beyond performance analysis, we administered a questionnaire to a cross-section of the Italian populace to gain deeper insights into their awareness of sustainability in everyday grocery shopping and their understanding of SDGs. Furthermore, we employed an unsupervised machine learning approach in our research to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of SDGs across European countries and position Italy relative to the others. Additionally, we conducted a detailed analysis of the responses to a newly designed questionnaire to gain a reasonable description of the population's perspective on the research topic. A general poor performance in the SDGs indicators emerged for Italy. However, from the questionnaire results, an overall significant interest in the sustainability of the acquired products from italian citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the study of "Takeve", an Italian food delivery platform that employs only women. The research conducted by interviewing both the workers and the founders of this small platform provides an opportunity to re-discuss the business models of food delivery platforms. The aim is to understand how and in what ways it is possible to initiate a participatory and multi-stakeholder model in which opportunities for fair and decent work, business-to-business cooperation, and even dialogue between companies and institutions are created. Although the case presented is circumscribed and very limited in size, it seems to be a good example to reflect on the possibility of rethinking the model of food delivery platforms in a gendered perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are secondary metabolites produced by over 6000 plant species worldwide. PAs enter the food chain through accidental co-harvesting of PA-containing weeds and through soil transfer from the living plant to surrounding acceptor plants. In animal studies, 1,2-unsaturated PAs have proven to be genotoxic carcinogens. According to the scientific opinion expressed by the 2017 EFSA, the foods with the highest levels of PA contamination were honey, tea, herbal infusions, and food supplements. Following the EFSA's recommendations, data on the presence of PAs in relevant food were monitored and collected. On 1 July 2022, the Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/2040 came into force, repealed by Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915, setting maximum levels for the sum of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in certain food. A total of 602 food samples were collected from the Italian market between 2019 and 2022 and were classified as honey, pollen, dried tea, dried herbal infusions, dried herbs, and fresh borage leaves. The food samples were analyzed for their PA content via an in-house LC-MS/MS method that can detect PAs according to Regulation 2023/915. Overall, 42% of the analyzed samples were PA-contaminated, 14% exceeded the EU limits, and the items most frequently contaminated included dried herbs and tea. In conclusion, the number of food items containing considerable amounts of PAs may cause concern because they may contribute to human exposure, especially considering vulnerable populations—most importantly, children and pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How are devices changing our relationship with food? Do they help us to orient ourselves in a world where the production and circulation of commodities bring our certainties into question? In this paper I discuss food insecurity and develop on ethnographic research conducted in Tuscany (Italy) in a period running from 2016 to 2017. The aim of this research is to reflect on two aspects: first, the growing fear, insecurity and diffidence with regard to food in Italian society determined by the rise of global agribusiness, and the role devices play in mediating this relationship through self-tracking; and second, the analysis of these devices stemming from the idea of the orthorexic society, signs of which have been found in beliefs and policies regarding food throughout Italy for more than 30 years, often summarized in the famous Slow Food slogan "good, clean and fair." I studied how relationships with food are changing via the use of devices and digital technologies, and I assert that apparatuses and devices have become mediators between us and food. My research paints a picture in which people are produced as subjects through a series of devices that determine choices and behaviors, changing their perception of food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between Uruguay and Italy has its roots in the migratory flows that began around the middle of the 19th century and continued until after the Second World War, resulting in large numbers of immigrants to the small South American country. Montevideo has a lively community of tanos, no longer children but grandchildren or great-grandchildren, many of whom apply for Italian citizenship based on ius sanguinis. Starting from the life stories of some Italo-Uruguayans, the essay deals with some key themes relating to the construction of their identity: the relationship with Italian food and the Italian language, family ties and the rituals of domestic life, the memory of migration, the journeys made to their ancestors' places of origin in the course of which Italy as an ancestral land is configured above all as a territory of the imagination. All these are spaces in which the terms of individual and family group identity are negotiated, identities that are fluid and changing. Finally, the dialogue with descendants reveals the reasons that led them to apply for Italian citizenship, reasons that are emotional, historical, social, political, and related to justice. From a citizenship point of view, the family practices of the descendants of Italians are configured as strategies of legitimation and the memory of migration in this context becomes a resource activated to act concretely in history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Application of a research platform for food geographical authentication. • Multivariate investigation for Allium ampeloprasum L. from Valdichiana (Tuscany). • A. ampeloprasum L. showed a different chemical composition compared to A. sativum. • Glutathione was identified as a potential marker of authentication. • A. ampeloprasum L. extracts displayed interesting vasoactive properties. A research platform for food authentication was set up by combining stable isotope ratio analysis, metabolomics by gas and liquid mass-spectrometry and NMR investigations, chemometric analyses for food excellences. This multi-analytical approach was tested on samples of elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.), a species belonging to the same genus of common garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.), mainly produced in southern Tuscany-(Allium ampeloprasum). The isotopic composition allowed the product to be geographically characterized. Flavonoids, like (+)-catechin, cinnamic acids, quercetin glycosides were identified. The samples showed also a significant amount of dipeptides, sulphur-containing metabolites and glutathione, the latter of which could be considered a molecular marker of the analyzed elephant garlic. For nutraceutical profiling to reach quality labels, extracts were investigated in specific biological assays, displaying interesting vasorelaxant properties in rat aorta by mediating nitric oxide release from the endothelium and exhibited positive inotropic and negative chronotropic effects in rat perfused heart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inventory management represents one of the main criticalities that companies have to face. The challenge is twofold: being able to satisfy a demand whose behavior can significantly vary and be unpredictable in order to avoid stock-out situations, whilst limiting excessive stocks and consequently costs. Some factors can complicate this already inherently difficult task. An example is the presence of constraints on the time for storage, which is the typical case for perishable products such as food and beverages, core business of the Italian company subject of the case study described in this paper. To optimize the reorder process in that context, a simulation model was developed for evaluating the potentials of three traditional reordering policies (i.e., Re-Order Point, Re-Order Interval, and (s, S)) to be applied to a set of products managed by the company, including perishable items, and for testing their performance. The items tested were selected through a preliminary ABC analysis, carried out on the volumes handled. A comparison with the current performance of the company's and that achievable with the optimized policies is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The collection of occurrence data on Alternaria toxins in food and feed across the European countries is required since 2012 by the European Commission, endorsing the relevant scientific opinion by the EFSA CONTAM Panel. Within this framework, occurrence data for Alternaria toxins (Alternariol, Alternariol monomethyl ether, Tenuazonic acid, Tentoxin, and Altenuene) in 97 samples of cereal foods, tomato products, and sunflower seeds have been provided as requested by the Italian national monitoring programme (years 2017–2020). To this purpose, an LC-MS/MS method was set up and validated, obtaining fit for purpose sensitivity, recoveries (70–120%), repeatability (≤20%) and within laboratory reproducibility (≤26%). Occurrence data showed that oilseeds were the most contaminated food group with levels of Tenuazonic acid up to 16752 µg/kg and Tentoxin up to 570 µg/kg, whereas for the other mycotoxin/commodities combinations, the percentage of left censored data (below the limit of quantification) ranged from 74 to 100%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mediterranean Crossbills are as much differentiated as L. scotica and L. pytyopsittacus. They are sedentary, linked to pine trees and have evolved a thicker bill to extract the seeds from Pine cones. Their decolorization could be due to dietary causes. The authors studied biometrics, breeding phenology, and primary food of Italian populations living in Calabria and Etna (Sicily) and compared them with the other Mediterranean populations. A coevolutive radiation between the different populations of Mediterranean Crossbills presently living in the three main peninsulas, adiacent islands and North Africa occurred separately and this may be demonstrated by their morphometrics, their sedentariness, as well as by songs and some genetic results recently published. They conclude that the same criteria followed to raise L. curvirostra scotica to the species rank as scotica occur also for the different Mediterranean populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers, companies and institutions have discussed the importance of food traceability in the EU for some time. The research objective is to compare perceptions of the role, importance and main "components" of food traceability in the food service field (in food service points of sale: restaurants, hotels, café, bars, catering etc.) between Italian consumers and Italian Hotel, Restaurants and Catering companies. The comparative analysis identified whether consumers and companies have the same concept of food traceability and its relevance in the hospitality field. A survey was implemented to collect feedback on seven items that can be considered as main part of food traceability. A Student t-test was used to identify the statistically significant differences in answers between consumers and the food service companies (mainly Hotels, Restaurants and Catering), and to assess the relevance of food traceability in their perceptions. An ordered logit regression was implemented to assess the determined variables on the companies and consumers behaviors. The research demonstrated that food service companies often have a biased perception of consumers' opinions, beliefs and expectations regarding food traceability, compared with what consumers really think and want. The most original aspect of the study is the comparison of the perceptions identifying similarities and differences in the two samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An adequate calcium and vitamin D intake may play a role in preventing osteoporosis, but the contribution of the different food sources of calcium with regards to the risk of osteoporosis been barely explored. This observational study evaluated the calcium intake through a food frequency questionnaire in 126 adult women with not previously diagnosed osteoporosis undergoing Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) to screen for osteoporosis, and to correlate the calcium intake with parameters of bone density, measured by DXA. Total daily calcium intake and daily intake from food were similar among women found to have osteoporosis, osteopenia or normal condition. The main food source was milk and dairy products, while calcium supplementation was consumed by only 14% of subjects, irrespectively from osteoporosis conditions. DXA parameters were not significantly correlated with total daily calcium intake and calcium from food. The present study highlighted no qualitative and quantitative differences in the consumption of food groups contributing to calcium intakes in women with and without osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to compare the eating out preferences of young adult consumers in Poland and Greece. Young adult consumers in Poland and Greece, living in the capitals of these countries, exhibited different behaviour when eating outside the home. A common feature in both countries was frequent eating out at the weekend. However, Poles more often than Greeks, ate out on weekdays as well as at weekends. In both countries, besides local dishes, young adults most often preferred North American and Italian cuisine. Greeks, more often than Poles, ate take-away dishes with their friends and families members, while Poles more often ate them alone. Young women, in both countries ate out more often than men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfur is an essential nutrient but data about its intake are scarce. We aimed to measure sulfur content in food samples and assess its habitual intake in relation to adherence to healthy dietary patterns in 719 Italian adults. Using a food frequency questionnaire, we estimated overall sulfur intake, and its relation with adherence to healthy dietary patterns. The highest sulfur content was found in preserved/canned fish (3.0 g/kg), seafood (2.8 g/kg), white meat (2.8 g/kg) and dairy products, particularly aged cheeses (2.1 g/kg) and lowest in fresh fruit (87 mg/kg), oils and fats (157 mg/kg), and beverages (141 mg/kg), with the exception of onion and garlic (1.3 g/kg). The mean sulfur intake in the study population was 1.1 g/day, slightly higher in men than women. The foods contributing most to sulfur intake were meat (29%) and cereals (19%), with also substantial contribution (>10%) from beverages and dairy products. Adherence to dietary patterns had little influence on sulfur intake, except for adherence to MIND diet positively and linearly associated with sulfur intake. Our study provides an updated overview of sulfur content in foods composing the Italian diet, as well as of sulfur intake in an Italian community of Northern Italy. • We assessed sulfur content in a wide range of foods consumed in Italian population. • We assessed dietary habits using a validated food frequency questionnaire. • We estimated sulfur intake and adherence to four healthy dietary habits. • Positive association was found between sulfur intake and MIND pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the book clearly demonstrates that women's relationship to food is at the heart of Italianness, it leaves open the question of how Italianness shapes women's relationship to food. This book explores the multi-faceted relationship between Italian women and food as depicted in nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first century media including novels, memoirs, cookbooks, women's magazines, television, and film. [Extracted from the article]

Highlights • Proximate composition of 30 dishes traditionally consumed in Italy was evaluated. • New data update the Italian food composition database (FCDB). • Dietary Intake of 30 dishes and their adequacy was studied. • Some traditional dishes contributed significantly to the DRV of dietary fibre. Abstract Italian food is very popular around the world, but the knowledge of the proximate composition of traditional composite dishes consumed in Italy is limited. This is mainly due to the large regional variety and complexity of such dishes. The present study provides new analytical data in order to fill this gap. Thirty dishes from different regions in Italy were selected including main courses, side dishes and desserts. For each dish, samples were prepared and then analyzed to determine the nutrient composition in terms of moisture, protein, fat, starch, sugars, dietary fibre and energy value. The nutrients varied between the dishes as can be expected. Moreover, to assess their specific nutritional quality, in terms of adequacy or deficit, the nutrients of one portion of every dish were compared with the Dietary References Values (DRVs) for the Italian population. Our results provide an important update of the national Food Composition Database (FCDB) of the CREA Research Centre for Food and Nutrition. The new data widen the nutritional knowledge of a variety of traditional Italian dishes and provide dietary information to health workers, the food industry and consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raw dried salamis with noble mould are among Romania's most popular meat food products. The assumption that there might be an unknown side to the structural integrity of the ingredients in such products has developed over time. A physico-chemical analysis was carried out on six salami samples of various brands of the raw dried salamis known as "Salam de Sibiu" and "Salam de Hateg", both available on the retail market. The following parameters were measured: humidity percentage, nitrites content, NaCl content, easily hydrolysable nitrogen, percentage of fat and amount of protein. All samples underwent the histopathologic examination routine procedure with paraffin and HE (haematoxylin and eosin) stain. The values of the integrity parameters comply with the applicable legislation, but vary significantly from a producer to another. The histopathologic examination indicated the presence of animal tissue and plant structures. We consider this examination to be useful in identifying structural non-compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global food systems are broken and in need of profound change. These imbalances and vulnerabilities are particularly strong in cities, where most of the global population lives and that are at the core of the major challenges linked with food production and consumption. The food system transition needs cities as key game-changers towards more sustainable, equitable, healthier and fairer food systems. Against this backdrop, the present article analyses the role of food policies within urban policies, with a focus on Italian cities. In particular, the article discusses data collected from representatives of 100 municipalities across Northern, Central and Southern Italy. Moreover, it addresses the types of policies and initiatives adopted at the local level, the main obstacles encountered, the role of national and international city networks and the impact of Covid-19 on urban food security, with the aim to identify potential models of urban food policies as a structural component of a broader urban agenda. By doing this, the article aims at filling a research gap in current literature, as it is the first large-scale survey on urban food policies in Italy, identifying models of urban food policies that are already being developed within broader urban development agendas. [Display omitted] • More than three quarters of the cities interviewed know the UN Agenda 2030, with projects launched to achieve the SDGs. • Almost all (94 %) cities interviewed have launched urban food policies, but these are still too sectoral. • Urban food policies still struggle to have adequate human resources, as well as the proper assessment tools. • Cities' networks play an important role to replicate urban food policies. • All cities were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of food utilization, food stability and food availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, consumers have been increasingly interested in the quality and safety of specialty food products that are perceived as healthy and wholesome. However, few studies have been carried out to assess the effects of domestic cooking on the fate of pathogens in meat-based products. The present study aimed to assess the shelf life of ready-to-cook Ascoli-style olives, an Italian specialty food preparation, through accelerated shelf life tests. A challenge test was also carried out to test the efficacy of cooking methods on the survival of Salmonella Senftenberg strains. Accelerated shelf life assays, including physico-chemical assays (investigating the total volatile basic nitrogen and pH), microbiological counts (Enterobacteriaceae counts) and sensory parameters (appearance, color, odor, flavor and texture) allowed us to obtain sound information on the durability of pre-cooked Ascoli-style olives in an affordable and efficient manner. This is therefore an effective method that could be exploited by food business operators hoping to provide scientific information on product shelf life assessments. The challenge tests demonstrated that fan-baking in an electric oven at 200 °C for 12 min and deep frying for 4 min are the more effective treatments needed to inactivate the artificially inoculated Salmonella Senftenberg strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pasta is the Italian product par excellence and it is now popular worldwide. Pasta of a superior quality is made with pure durum wheat. In Italy, addition of Triticum aestivum (common wheat) during manufacturing is not allowed and, without adequate labeling, its presence is considered an adulteration. PCR-related techniques can be employed for the detection of common wheat contaminations. In this work, we demonstrated that a previously published method for the detection of T. aestivum , based on the gliadin gene, is inadequate. Moreover, a new molecular method, based on DNA extraction from semolina and real-time PCR determination of T. aestivum in Triticum spp., was validated. This multiplex real-time PCR, based on the dual-labeled probe strategy, guarantees target detection specificity and sensitivity in a short period of time. Moreover, the molecular analysis of common wheat contamination in commercial wheat and flours is described for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims at evaluating the main nutrients (proximate, minerals), their contribution for Dietary Reference Values in Italian population, and the antioxidant properties of some popular dishes prepared in a dedicated lab-kitchen: spaghetti alle vongole, pomodori al riso, gateau di patate, carciofi alla romana, pan di Spagna. Results showed that nutrient contents and energy value varied extensively because of the variety and the nature of ingredients in the analyzed dishes, and thus defined different daily nutrient intakes and their association with health effects. A serving portion of either spaghetti alle vongole or carciofi alla romana showed to contribute to the daily nutritional recommendations respectively, with an appreciable percentage of available carbohydrates (30–22%) and a considerable content of dietary fibre (91%). Gateau di patate was particularly rich in calcium (343 mg), both contributing 34% of the recommended intake, in addition to appreciable content of phosphorus and zinc. With regards to spaghetti alle vongole, pomodori al riso, gateau di patate and pan di Spagna , extractable polyphenols contributed less than 15% to total antioxidant activity, and hydrolysable polyphenols give a major contribution; carciofi alla romana showed an inverse trend. Findings provide an important contribution to the update of Italian Food Composition Databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prebiotic fiber may have a beneficial effect on the human's microbiota. However, due to the lack of comprehensive food composition data (FCD), it is challenging to assess their dietary intake. The aim of present study is to quantify naturally occurring prebiotics, such as inulin-type fructans (ITFs), fructo-oligosacharides (FOSs), and galacto-oligosacharides (GOSs), in raw and processed Italian foods and to estimate their intake in a healthy population (N = 4154) belonging to an Italian case-control study on colorectal cancer. ITFs were determined using enzymatic method and high-performance anion exchange chromatography coupled with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD). FOSs and GOSs were determined by alkaline hydrolysis and HPAEC-PAD. Garlic (25.1 g/100 g) and jerusalem artichoke (16.7 g/100 g) were the ITFs-richest foods. Jerusalem artichoke was also the richest in FOSs (4.45 g/100 g). GOSs were mainly detected in dry and canned pulses (0.01–2.04 g/100 g). In our population, the median intake of ITFs, FOSs and GOSs was 0.797, 0.187 and 0.283 g/day, respectively. Given the unclear definition of inulin due to the heterogenicity of methodologies, it was challenging to compare published prebiotic fiber's FCD and use them in epidemiological research. Within the present work we produced novel FCD able to preliminary estimate the intake of prebiotic fiber. • There is a lack of comprehensive food composition data on prebiotic fibers. • Jerusalem artichoke and garlic, were the foods richest in ITFs and FOSs. • GOSs were mainly detected in pulses. • The dietary intakes of prebiotics were very low in a healthy Italian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]